Risk Categories for Discharge Planning Using AM-PAC "6-Clicks" Basic Mobility Scores in Non-Surgical Hospitalized...

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Effective discharge planning ensures safe, cost-efficient, and timely hospital discharges.
• Patient deconditioning can lead to extended hospital stays due to discharge needs.
• Functional mobility measures correlate with discharge destination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of risk categories derived from the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) "6-clicks" Basic Mobility (6cBM) scores in predicting patient discharge destination.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study included 3739 adult patients from general medical units.
• The study analyzed AM-PAC 6cBM scores recorded within 48 hours of admission and before discharge.
• Logistic regression modeled the odds of discharge to post-acute care facilities (PACF) versus home, using three risk categories: low (>20), moderate (15-19), and high (<14).

Main Results:

• Patients in the high-risk category (based on admission 6cBM scores) were nine times more likely to be discharged to PACF compared to low-risk patients.
• At discharge, high-risk patients were 29 times more likely to be discharged to PACF than low-risk patients.
• Older age, male sex, and longer hospitalizations were also associated with PACF discharge.

Conclusions:

• Risk stratification using AM-PAC 6cBM categories is a valuable tool for early discharge planning.
• This method aids in identifying patients likely to require post-acute care, facilitating timely interventions.